Top: The Class of <strong>2010</strong> at WT’s 123rd Commencement on June 6.Above, top left: (clockwise, from left) Speaker Aradhna Dhanda, President andCEO of Leadership Pittsburgh; Kurt Twyman ’10; WT Board President HenryPosner III; Head of <strong>School</strong> Gary J. Niels; and Ambika Ramesh ’10Above, top right: (left to right) Nathan Ong ’10 and Helen Bunker ’10are congratulated by Ari Schuman ’11Bottom right: (left to right) Isabel Zehner, Ambika Ramesh, Kathryn Varnay,Alaina Ferry, and Rosaleen Mahorterw w w . w i n c h e s t e r t h u r s t o n . o r g9
ON POSSIBILITYMany people in our society believe that an era ofendless possibilities and opportunity is giving way toan age of constraints and limits. An America raisedon the promise of boundlessness suddenly findsitself confronting a world of boundaries…and whatlooms ahead is an era of diminished expectations.To which I can only say, nonsense. There havealways been limits and boundaries in this world…[We] are not powerless. Rather, in this new period inour history, we are simply being asked to set asidesome old beliefs that no longer serve us.— Aradhna DhandaChallenge. Possibility.Leadership. Community.These themes resonated through the Twentieth Century Clubon June 6 as the WT community celebrated the Class of <strong>2010</strong>at the school’s 123rd Commencement exercises. Joining thestudent speakers at the podium was this year’s Commencementspeaker, Aradhna Dhanda, President and CEO of LeadershipPittsburgh Inc., and a member of WT’s Advisory Board. Excerptsfrom Dhanda’s address, as well as the students’ speeches, follow.ON CHALLENGEIn the age just passed, we could believe that problems existedin isolation…We could pretend that the economy and theenvironment were separate, that our economy was insulated fromwhat happened in other countries, that saddling future generationswith the financial and ecological costs of our actions could go onforever, that failing to educate millions of our own children wassomeone else’s problem…Increasingly, our task is to appreciatehow connected we all are—to each other, and to the planet—andto devise solutions that embrace the complexity of the world inwhich we now live. It is because this so obviously requires us towork together that some in our society see it as a diminishment ofour power. I see it as the maturation of our power.— Aradhna Dhanda… When you step…into the bigger spectrum of college life, mostlikely you will meet people who do not value your individuality…But if I have truly learned any life lessons from my experiencesat WT, it would be that courage is best shown through stayingtrue to one’s beliefs and ideas about the world…When we leavethe comforting environment of WT and cross into the unknown,mysterious abyss of college, our courage will be put to the test…The best answer is to stay true to yourself. It was through WT thatI was able to find the courage to be myself.— Khalipha Misawa ‘10…We have our Macs, iPods, Facebook, and Skype;but we also have a determination, will, and hopethat we can do anything…Yes we were labeled asthe technology generation but remember we arealso the generation of “YES WE CAN.” For we canand will accomplish whatever it is we choose to do,because for us the sky is the limit.— Jimyse Brown ‘10Being in this class has challenged me. Their success has forcedme to push myself more and want more for myself. This has onlymade my educational experience better…Our class leaders havedone everything in their power to change what they don’t like aboutthe school...now we know first-hand what can be accomplishedwith a little determination.— Brea Allen ‘10ON LEADERSHIP[Two] qualities set the very best leaders apart: First, they takepersonal responsibility.…They take charge, they act, they move.They know that leadership is not about titles or status; it is abouthow you think, how you behave, what you contribute.— Aradhna DhandaFor the past years we have continually heard “think also of thecomfort and the rights of others.” With this motto and the life skillsthat our educators and peers have taught us here at WT, we willmake a difference in this world. No matter what we do, WT hasprepared all of us to become leaders...We are the people who willfind the next reliable energy source, depreciating our reliance onoil; we are the people who will work to fight disease, conductingresearch that will make an impact; and we are the people whowill study the works of the cosmos, expanding the horizons ofscientific curiosity.— Rachel Dougherty ‘10ON COMMUNITY[The very best leaders]…see themselves as part of somethinglarger. They reach out to others, seek guidance and input, establishnetworks, share learning, and build coalitions. By viewing the worldthrough the prism of community, they ask better questions anddevise better solutions.— Aradhna DhandaWT has shaped who we are today...[No] matter where we endup, the skills that WT has given us will stay with us, strengtheningand supporting each of us. Even though we’re leaving, this schoolhas left its mark on us and will shape us for the rest of our lives.— Rachel Dougherty ‘1010 T h i s t l e t a l k S u m m e r 2 0 1 0
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